Charles II., and in the summer of 1685, when the Duke of Monmouth
raised the standard of rebellion in the west of England, he raised
a company of foot for the service of King James II., which was
incorporated in the Duke of Norfolk's regiment. He proved a very
zealous and determined supporter of the interests of the Protestant
religion, and on the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange
promoted him to the Colonelcy of the regiment. He served in
Ireland under Marshal Duke Schomberg, signalized himself at the
siege of Carrickfergus, and evinced, on all occasions, so much
personal bravery and spirit of enterprise, united with a generous
disposition and a kind regard for the interests of his soldiers,
that he was beloved by his regiment. He died at Dundalk in October,
1689, much regretted by the officers and men of his regiment.
RICHARD BREWER.
_Appointed 1st November, 1689._
RICHARD BREWER raised a company of pikemen and musketeers for Sir
Edward Hales's regiment, now Fourteenth foot, in the summer of
1685, and served in that corps until the Revolution. He prized the
established religion and constitution of his country too highly
to permit himself to aid in their destruction, and he espoused
the principles of the Revolution with great warmth. On the 31st
of December, 1688, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the
TWELFTH foot, with which corps he served in Ireland, and evinced
signal bravery on several occasions, for which he was rewarded
with the Colonelcy of the regiment on the 1st of November, 1689.
He commanded the TWELFTH regiment, at the battle of the Boyne
in 1690, also in the action at Lanesborough, and was appointed
commandant at Mullingar, near which place the troops, under his
immediate command, had several rencounters with detachments of
the enemy. He continued to serve in Ireland until the deliverance
of that country from the power of King James was accomplished,
and in 1692 he commanded his regiment in the expedition under
the Duke of Leinster. He also served at the head of his regiment
in the Netherlands, during the campaign of 1694; in the attack
on Fort Kenoque, and the defence of Dixmude in 1695 (on which
last-mentioned occasion he opposed the Governor, in the resolution
to surrender), and in the protection of the maritime towns of
Flanders in 1696. After the peace of Ryswick, he proceeded with his
regiment to Ireland; and on the breaking out of the war, in the
reign of Queen Anne, he retired from the service.
JOHN LIVESAY.
_Appointed 28th September, 1702._
This officer was appointed Lieutenant in the royal fusiliers
in 1685; he served in the army during the wars of King William
III., and was distinguished for gallantry and a strict attention
to duty on all occasions, and these qualities were rewarded by
Queen Anne, in September, 1702, with the colonelcy of the TWELFTH
regiment, which he commanded in the West Indies in 1703, 1704, and
1705. On the 1st of January, 1707, he was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General, and on the 1st of January, 1710, to that of
Major-General. Political events, connected with the removal of
the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough from the command of the
army, and the measures pursued by the new ministry of Queen Anne,
occasioned Major-General Livesay to retire from the command of the
regiment in 1712. He died on the 22nd of February, 1718.
RICHARD PHILLIPS.
_Appointed 16th March, 1712._
RICHARD PHILLIPS entered the army in September, 1669, and at
the augmentation of the army, on the declaration of war against
France and Spain, in 1702, he was promoted to the command of a
company in one of the corps raised on that occasion. He proceeded
with his regiment (Brettons, afterwards disbanded) to the relief
of Barcelona in 1706; served in Spain under the Earl of Galway,
in 1707, and was taken prisoner at the battle of Almanza. He
subsequently served with his company on board the fleet as marines,
and was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the regiment. Queen
Anne rewarded his services, in 1712, with the colonelcy of the
TWELFTH foot, from which he was removed, in 1717, to the fortieth
regiment, then newly formed of independent companies, at Placentia,
Annapolis, and other parts of America. He was promoted to the rank
of Brigadier-General in 1735, to that of Major-General in 1739, and
to that of Lieut.-General in 1742. In 1750, he was removed to the
thirty-eighth foot. He died in January, 1751.
THOMAS STANWIX.
_Appointed 25th August, 1717._
THOMAS STANWIX served in the Netherlands, with reputation, under
King William III., and afterwards in Holland and Germany under
the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. In April, 1706, he was
commissioned to raise, form, and discipline a regiment of foot,
in Ireland, with which corps he embarked from Cork, in May, 1707,
for Portugal, where he served under the Marquis de Montandre, the
Marquis de Fronterira, and the Earl of Galway. In 1709 he was at
the battle of the Caya, where his regiment highly distinguished
itself, and in 1710 he commanded the storming party at the capture
of Xeres de los Cavaleras: at the peace of Utrecht his regiment
was disbanded. In 1715, when the partisans of the Pretender sought
to elevate him to the throne, Colonel Stanwix was commissioned to
raise a regiment of foot, for the service of King George I., and in
July, 1717, he was removed to the thirtieth regiment, which he only
commanded five weeks, when he was appointed to the TWELFTH foot. He
died 14th of March, 1725.
THOMAS WHETHAM.
_Appointed 22nd March, 1725._
This officer obtained a commission in Sir William Clifton's
regiment, now fifteenth foot, on the breaking out of the rebellion
of James Duke of Monmouth, in June, 1685; and he served under King
William in Ireland and Flanders, where he acquired a reputation
for gallantry and attention to all his duties. On the 29th of
August, 1702, Queen Anne rewarded him with the colonelcy of the
Twenty-seventh regiment of foot, with which corps he served in the
West Indies in 1703 and 1704, and was engaged in the unsuccessful
attack on the island of Guadaloupe. In 1707 he was promoted to the
rank of Brigadier-General, and in 1710 to that of Major-General; he
served in Spain during the latter part of the war of succession,
commanded the garrison of the island of Minorca for a short period;
and in 1715, and 1716, he commanded a brigade of infantry in
Scotland, under the Duke of Argyle, during the rebellion of the
Earl of Mar. In 1725, he was removed to the TWELFTH foot, and in
1727 he obtained the rank of Lieut.-General; he was promoted to
the rank of general in 1739, and was governor of Berwick and Holy
Island for several years. He died on the 28th of April, 1741.
SCIPIO DUROURE.
_Appointed 12th August, 1741._
SCIPIO DUROURE obtained a commission in the army in December, 1705,
and he had the advantage of serving three campaigns under the
celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. He served many years in the
TWELFTH foot, of which corps he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel on
the 25th of August, 1734; he was also appointed captain and keeper
of the castle of St. Maws (or Moss), and promoted to the colonelcy
of the TWELFTH regiment in 1741. He distinguished himself at the
battle of Dettingen in 1743, and behaved with great gallantry, at
the head of his regiment, at the battle of Fontenoy, in 1745, where
he was mortally wounded.
HENRY SKELTON.
_Appointed 28th May, 1745._
HENRY SKELTON entered the army in December, 1708, and served two
campaigns in the Netherlands. He was many years an officer in
the third foot guards, was promoted Major of the regiment with
the rank of Colonel in the army, in 1739, and in April, 1743,
he was advanced to Lieut.-Colonel in the same corps. In August
following, King George II. rewarded him with the colonelcy of the
thirty-second regiment; His Majesty also promoted him to the rank
of Major-General, and removed him to the TWELFTH foot in 1745, and
advanced him to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1747. He died on the
9th of April, 1757.
ROBERT NAPIER.
_Appointed 22nd April, 1757._
ROBERT NAPIER was appointed ensign in the second foot, on
the 9th of May, 1722, and after performing regimental duty
a few years, he was placed on the staff, and employed in
the Quarter-Master-General's Department. In 1745, he was
promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and appointed Deputy
Quarter-Master-General; in 1746, he was advanced to the rank of
Colonel, and he was afterwards appointed Adjutant-General of
the forces. In 1755, King George II. appointed him colonel of
a newly-raised regiment, now fifty-first foot; in 1756 he was
promoted to the rank of Major-General, and in 1757, he was removed
to the TWELFTH foot. In 1759, he was promoted to the rank of
Lieut.-General. He died in November, 1766.
HENRY CLINTON.
_Appointed 21st November, 1766._
HENRY CLINTON, grandson of Francis, sixth Earl of Lincoln, served
in an independent company of foot at New York, and in 1751 he was
appointed Lieutenant and Captain in the second foot guards, from
which he was promoted, in 1758, to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in
the first foot guards. He served in Germany during the seven years'
war, was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1762, and in 1766 he
obtained the colonelcy of the TWELFTH foot. He was promoted, in
1772, to the rank of Major-General. On the commencement of the
American war, in 1775, he was sent with reinforcements to Boston,
with the local rank of Lieut.-General, and at the battle of
Bunker's Hill he joined the troops engaged with additional forces
from Boston during the conflict, and contributed materially to the
gaining of the victory. He afterwards proceeded to North Carolina,
with the local rank of General; assumed the command of the troops
which arrived from Great Britain, and in 1776 he undertook the
reduction of Charleston, but was not able to accomplish his object
from the want of a sufficient force. He then joined General
Sir William Howe, was engaged in the reduction of Long Island,
and commanded the leading column of the army at the battle of
Brooklyn. General Clinton also commanded the division which took
possession of New York Island, was at White Plains and other
engagements, also commanded the troops which took Rhode Island,
and was rewarded with the dignity of Knight of the Bath. In 1777
he commanded at New York, and, in order to create a diversion in
favour of General Burgoyne's army, he proceeded up the river and
captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery. In the following spring he
was nominated Commander-in-Chief in North America, and assuming
the command of the army at Philadelphia, marched from thence to
New York, repulsing the attacks of the enemy during the movement.
In the winter of 1778, he was removed from the TWELFTH foot to the
command of a corps of Royal Highland Emigrants, and in 1779 he was
appointed Colonel of the seventh, or Queen's Own Light Dragoons.
The departure of the French Fleet from North America enabled
General Sir Henry Clinton to fit out an expedition against
Charleston, which he captured in 1780, for which he received the
thanks of Parliament, and this success was followed by important
results in North and South Carolina; but the tide of success did
not long flow in favour of the British cause, and some reverses
taking place, he was succeeded as Commander-in-Chief in North
America by General Carleton. He arrived in England in June,
1782, and afterwards published a vindication of his conduct. The
appointment of Governor of Limerick was conferred upon General Sir
Henry Clinton; he was also groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of
Gloucester, and was many years a member of Parliament; in 1795, he
was appointed Governor of Gibraltar. He died in December of the
same year.
WILLIAM PICTON.
_Appointed 21st April, 1779._
The first services of this officer were in the marines, in which
corps he was promoted to the rank of Captain, in March, 1755, and
in August, 1756, he was appointed Captain of the grenadier company
in the TWELFTH foot. He served at the head of his company, in
Germany, during the seven years' war, and evinced great gallantry
on numerous occasions. In 1762, he was promoted Major, and in
1765, Lieut.-Colonel of his regiment. He performed all the duties
of commanding officer of the TWELFTH regiment, in the United
Kingdom and afterwards at Gibraltar, with reputation to himself and
advantage to the service, for thirteen years, and in 1778 he was
appointed Colonel of the seventy-fifth foot, then newly raised, and
afterwards disbanded: in the following year he was removed to the
TWELFTH regiment.
King George III. frequently selected individuals of merit on whom
he conferred distinguished marks of his Royal approbation, and the
promotion of Colonel Picton furnishes an instance of His Majesty's
attention to meritorious services, which had not the advantage
of Ministerial or Parliamentary patronage. When appointed to the
colonelcy of the TWELFTH, Colonel Picton went to Court, and after
kissing His Majesty's hand at the levee, he was admitted to an
audience in the King's closet, when he acknowledged, in grateful
terms, the honor conferred upon him; and His Majesty replied, "You
are entirely obliged to Captain Picton, who commanded the grenadier
company of the TWELFTH regiment, in the late war in Germany;" at
the same time alluding particularly to his gallantry at Zierenberg,
for which he was thanked in general orders.[22]
After this interview, he joined his regiment at Gibraltar, and
distinguished himself in the defence of that fortress, under
General Eliott.
In 1782, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, in 1793 to
that of Lieut.-General, and in 1798 to that of General. He died in
1811.
SIR CHARLES HASTINGS, BARONET.
_Appointed 15th October, 1811._
CHARLES HASTINGS, natural son of Francis, tenth Earl of Huntingdon,
was appointed Ensign in the TWELFTH foot in July 1770, and joined
the regiment at Gibraltar. In 1776 he was promoted Lieutenant,
and he was permitted to serve with the twenty-third regiment in
America, where he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Earl Percy, and
afterwards to Sir Henry Clinton. He was at the actions at Pelham
Manor and White Plains, and at the capture of Fort Washington;
also in the successful expedition against the American magazines
at Danbury. He accompanied Sir William Howe to Pennsylvania, was
engaged at Brandywine and Germantown, and was twice wounded. In
1780 he was promoted Captain in the TWELFTH foot, and joined his
regiment at Gibraltar, where he had several opportunities of
distinguishing himself during the siege of that fortress, and
he evinced great gallantry at the sortie in November, 1781. In
1782, he was appointed Major in the seventy-sixth; in 1783 he was
promoted to Lieut.-Colonel in the seventy-second, which regiment
was disbanded in the same year. He obtained the Lieut.-Colonelcy
of the thirty-fourth regiment in 1786, and was afterwards removed
to the sixty-first, and subsequently to the sixty-fifth. He
was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1796, and to that
of Lieut.-General in 1803. In February, 1806, he was created
a BARONET, of Willesley Hall, in the county of Derby; and in
November following he was appointed Colonel of the fourth garrison
battalion, from which he was removed to the seventy-seventh
regiment in July, 1811; and in October following, to the TWELFTH
foot. In 1813 he was promoted to the rank of General. He died in
1823.
HONORABLE ROBERT MEADE.
_Appointed 9th October, 1823._
FOOTNOTES:
[6] In the Duke of Berwick's memoirs, it is erroneously stated that
Colonel Wolseley had 3000 foot and 300 horse with him.
[7] List of regiments in the West Indies in the summer of 1703:--
Columbine's, now sixth.
Livesay's, now twelfth.
Erle's, now nineteenth.
Handasyd's, now twenty-second.
Whetham's, now twenty-seventh.
Donegal's, now thirty-fifth.
Charlemont's, now thirty-sixth.
Hamilton's, afterwards disbanded.
[8] List of troops employed in the expedition under Major-General
Erle.
Foot embarked from the Isle of Wight:--
Livesay's, now twelfth.
Farrington's, now twenty-ninth.
Hamilton's, afterwards disbanded.
Johnson's, " "
Moore's, afterwards disbanded.
Caulfield's, " "
Townshend's, " "
Wynne's, " "
Dragoons embarked from Dover:--
Carpenter's, now third.
Essex's, now fourth.
[9] The second battalions of the regiments undermentioned were
formed into distinct corps, in April, 1758, and numbered from 61st
to 75th regiments, as shown in the following list, viz.:--
2 Batt. 3rd Foot, constituted 61 reg.
" 4th " " 62 "
" 8th " " 63 "
" 11th " " 64 "
" 12th " " 65 "
" 19th " " 66 "
" 20th " " 67 "
" 23rd " " 68 "
2 Batt. 24th Foot, constituted 69 reg.
" 31st " " 70 "
" 32nd " " 71 "
" 33rd " " 72 "
" 34th " " 73 "
" 36th " " 74 "
" 37th " " 75 "
The above 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments were disbanded
in the Year 1763, after the peace of Fontainbleau.
[10] 'Notwithstanding the loss they sustained before they could
get up to the enemy; notwithstanding the repeated attacks of the
enemy's cavalry; notwithstanding a fire of musketry well kept up by
the enemy's infantry; notwithstanding their being exposed in front
and flank, such was the unshaken firmness of those troops (12th,
20th, 23rd, 25th, 37th, 51st, and brigade of Hanoverians) that
nothing could stop them, and the whole body of French cavalry was
totally routed.'--_Campaigns of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick._
[11] 'The brunt of the battle was almost wholly sustained by the
English infantry and some corps of Hanoverians, who stood the
reiterated charges of so many bodies of horse, the strength and
glory of the French armies, with a resolution, steadiness, and
expertness in their manœuvres, which was never exceeded, perhaps
never equalled: they cut to pieces, or entirely routed those
bodies. Two brigades of foot attempted to support them; but they
vanished before the English infantry.'--_Annual Register._
'Six regiments of English infantry, and two battalions of
Hanoverian guards, not only bore the whole brunt of the French
carabineers and gendarmerie, but absolutely broke every body of
horse and foot that advanced to attack them on the left and in the
centre.'--_Smollett._
[12] The six British regiments of infantry, which took part in the
glorious battle of MINDEN, were the 12th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 37th,
and 51st regiments.
[13] London Gazette.
[14] Strength of the Garrison of Gibraltar at the commencement of
the Blockade, 21st June, 1779:--
British. Officers. Men.
Royal Artillery 25 460
Royal Engineers 8 114
12th Foot 29 570
39th " 29 557
56th " 27 560
58th " 28 577
72nd " (Royal Manchester
Volunteers,) disbanded in 1783 33 1013
---- ---- 4030
Hanoverian.
Hardenberg's Regiment 29 423
Reden's " 27 417
De La Motte's " 33 423
---- ---- 1352
Total ---- 5382
[15] The Siege of Gibraltar, by Captain Drinkwater, of the late
seventy-second regiment, who was in garrison at the time.
[16] It is a remarkable circumstance that the TWELFTH foot, and the
Hanoverian regiment of Hardenberg, fought alongside each other at
the battle of Minden, and they were the only two entire regiments
employed in the sortie from Gibraltar.
[17] _Vide_ the Record of the Third Foot, or the Buffs, from page
69 to 74.
[18] CALPÉ, in the south of Spain, and ABYLA, on the opposite Coast
of Africa, (about eighteen miles distant) were celebrated as the
_Pillars of Hercules_; and according to heathen mythology, these
two mountains were united, until that hero separated them, and
made a communication between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic
seas. CALPÉ received the present designation of Gibraltar from the
Arabic "_Gib-el-Tarif_," or "_Mountain of Tarif_," being the spot
where that Moorish Chieftain landed on his invasion of Spain in the
Year 711. The device of the "_Castle and Key_," the present arms
of Gibraltar, was given by Henry IV., King of Castile, upon his
capturing the place from the King of Granada in 1462, in allusion
to its being the Key to the Mediterranean.
[19] The proper name of that city is _Siri Runga Patan_.
[20] The following regiments received the Royal permission to
bear on their standards, colours, and appointments, the word
"_Seringapatam_," in commemoration of their gallantry in the
storming and capture of that city and fortress on the 4th May,
1799; viz.--the 19th and 22nd (late 25th), Light Dragoons; the
12th, 33rd, 73rd, 74th, 75th, 77th regiments, and the Scots
Brigade, afterwards the 94th regiment.
[21] Bishop Burnet.
[22] On the decease of General Picton, a manuscript account of this
interview with King George III. was found among his papers.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES & SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
The first page of the book ("HISTORICAL RECORD ..."), and the page
after the Introduction, are virtually identical--there are some
slight variations in font sizes--and both have been retained in
the etext.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example,
daylight, day-light; Field Marshal, Field-Marshal; situate;
negociations; rencounters.
Pg xxiii, 'SERINGAPTAM' replaced by 'SERINGAPATAM'.
Pg 36, 'on this ocasion' replaced by 'on this occasion'.
Pg 50, 'additional orces' replaced by 'additional forces'.
Pg 53, 'TWELTFH foot continued' replaced by 'TWELFTH foot continued'.
Pg 60, '[Sidenote: 1799]' moved up 3 paragraphs.
Pg 70, 'againt England' replaced by 'against England'.
Pg 95, 'stanch supporter' replaced by 'staunch supporter'.